The Hunted Thief
by Nightshayed
Summary: A darker take on RWBY focusing on the survival of Roman Torchwick and his criminal empire, facing against Beacon Academy itself who is encouraged to actively hunt criminals across vale. Being sandwiched between Cinders evil plots and a constant battle for survival, how will everyone's favorite thief get out of this one?
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome to chapter 1 of The Hunted Thief**

/

Roman hurried up the metallic stairs towards Juniors club, climbing three steps at a time, his breath ragged in an almost desperate panic as he neared the top. It was all over the news and if it weren't for the news he knew of it himself, criminal contacts going black. None of them had been taken into custody, all had disappeared, some of them had been Romans contacts as such he headed out to check on his most useful one and one that he could almost call a friend. It took but a few moments for his fears to be realized as he halted with a snarl, taking in the destructive scene before him.

Juniors club was in ruins, a few bar stools lay in the street surrounded by broken glass having been thrown from the inside. Cracks in the walls could be seen as well as scorch marks. The usually illuminated sign of The Club was only half illuminated, the lights flickering on and off from damaged fuses.

He approached the door cautiously as his nostrils were assaulted by the acrid stench of smoke and something else which he couldn't quite recognize due to the overpowering aroma but it almost smelled like charred flesh.

Taking a quick second he adjusted his stylish pristine suit and dusted down his trousers, the most stylish criminal in Vale could never show up without looking the part could he?

Adopting a cocky grin he lay a gloved hand upon the metallic door of the ruined club and pushes gently. With a loud startling crack it fell off its hinges inward, the stainless steel door let out an echoing clang which rattled into the night as it collapsed into the gloom of the club, from the doorway he could see very little bar the flickering of a flame as the smell of smoke become so strong he almost gagged.

"Shit" he muttered to himself before sighing and stepping carefully over what used to be a secure door to stride further into what used to be friendly territory.

If only Neo were here, she could scout out the place without putting his head on the line. With a tut and a subtle shake of his head he pushes past the dull scorch marked walls, his pristine black shoes clicking as he marched towards the secondary pair of larger doors. A good thief is never seen, so why was he playing detective?

His eyes strayed along to the window which had been smashed from the inside, a slick red liquid still fresh upon some of the shards as it slowly slid down into the darkness. This used to be where Juniors goons guarded and he couldn't see any bodies.

Continuing through the flickering lights of Juniors somewhat questionable decor, he arrived at the large dark doors, lay within was the night club itself, the dance floor and bar, usually packed it was eerily silent from the outside. The massive object left slightly open let him know just how alone he was, so why did he still smell burning? Like a fresh flame being constantly lit it grew stronger the closer he got.

Steeling his nerves he slid inside, barely opening the door as to slip in unnoticed into a scene of utter carnage.

Bodies littered the dance floor, as he recognized the acrid stench of death on top of the burning flames of a nearby fire. Suited goons of his own and junior lay face down and unmoving, some missing various limbs although most were intact. Shattered glass from the destroyed pylon like structures lay underneath the unmoving men, piecing into their still bodies as if they fell or were thrown from a great height with force enough to kill upon impact. The area dimly lit by flickering lights and the glow of the red emergency lighting, some natural light illuminated it better via the shattered moon above him which seeped through the cracks and holes in the roof, it was like a war had gone on.

Romans eyes narrowed as his brow creased, he continued towards the bar, crunching on broken glass and avoiding the blood stains, cant ruin the shoes after all. As he surveyed the scene on the dance floor, he noticed most of them seemed to have been killed in a single blow, the unfortunate goons who lay face up had their faces contorted in what can only be described as shock or terror, like they never stood a chance and they knew it.

His eyes strayed to what was left of the stairway to the DJ booth to find it missing half way its ruins lay in a pile twenty ft under the remaining stairs. Two pairs of hands and legs protruded from the collapsed mess, the limbs contorted to unnatural angles in a grisly scene. Roman was thankful for the darkness in that regard. It wasn't as if Roman was uncomfortable around death, death was something Roman saw daily, but he was no psychopath, it was just part of the job not something to enjoy partaking in. If anything it was the aftermath of the kill he enjoyed, that they would cause him no further problems, he wasn't into massacring for the sake of it. Which is why the scene before him was so disturbing, whoever or whatever had done this had left no man alive.

His eyes carried to the bear masked man who lay slumped over the sound board, a gaping wound where his heart should be with it splattered on the wall behind, with it illuminated by strobe lighting which flickered on and off, he realized the wound was caused by a bullet shot, or multiple.

So the attacker had some ranged capabilities, interesting.

He arrived at the bar to find a few more corpses, theses weren't goons, these were regular bar workers he could ascertain by their attire.

The light from the moon illuminates these workers as whatever had caused this either entered from the roof judging from the gaping hole, or collapsed it on top of the bar which was a wreckage of wasted alcohol, glass, splintered wood and debris from the roof collapse.

All this destruction yet no sign of the attacker, did his goons even inflict any damage?

Rounding the side of the bar easily avoiding the corpses Roman entered into the staff area to find it unsurprisingly in the same state of disrepair, his goal was simple, find junior or the twins and find out who or what caused this. There would be hell to pay when he got his hands on them.

His hands curled into fists as his pace increased, coughing as he found the air thicker, realizing he was nearing the source of the smoke he places a hand over his mouth and hurried his pace further passing more rooms. Whoever had done this had been thorough, every door in the back had been smashed open and the contents of the rooms turned inside out. Were they looking for something or someone?

Questions for later, his pace increased to a jog as he hurried down the hallways of destroyed valuables and knocked over furniture, he took a left at the second from last door, slamming through what remains of it only to gasp and fall back from the raging inferno within.

He slapped a hand over his mouth and nose as he quickly back peddled from what once was a room, coughing as he retreated into the hallway.

That was Juniors office! Now turned into a living inferno, but no time to fight the fire. Whoever had done this could still be around and Roman had to give his old friend some credit, he doubted he would have been bested by an inferno.

Taking a few seconds to get his coughing under control he stumbled towards the fire exit.

Gotta get out, he realized as he had inhaled far too much smoke, his pristine suit looking worse for ware as he pushes through the fire escape into the cold night air, panting as he took great gulps of air trying to get his coughing under control.

He panted and stumbled slightly down the fire escape, sweating and panting he shook his head, nothing learned of any importance and no sign of Junior or the twins. Or their bodies, at least some confirmation would be nice.

He squinted and touched the railing which he had followed down, his hand came away slick and wet, it was blood. He smirked as a few drops led him out into the night between two high rise buildings and further towards his own territory, there were small signs of damages to these builds, a few scorch marks could be noticed and there was a bullet hole in one of the cars parked outside. Its alarm wailed into the night.

Sirens roared in the distance, the offending noise seemingly moving in his direction, unsurprising looking at the damage and noise of the situation. He rolled his eyes with a curse and dashed down the alley between the buildings to search for more signs of where Junior or the twins could have gone.

One of the local businesses must have alerted the police to the location, that or the noise itself was a cause for investigation. Well good, maybe this time they would actually end up helping him out. He thought with a grim smile, and once they capture whoever was responsible, well he was sure Junior would owe him a few favors for having Neo take them out permanently.

After all what good are cells and locks when she can just teleport in. He would be sure to buy her a tub of ice cream for that favor, got to make sure she enjoys her job.

His musing was stopped as he took a right and burst out onto one of the back roads, moving uphill through the shopping district illuminated by their advertisement, still in a shady area, so perhaps this was where Junior had ran too?

He stopped at the back of one of the many shops and stopped dead in his tracks. The blood trail had pooled by a cracked open metal door, stains ran down it. Roman took a slow pace as he continued closer, moving past knocked over bins as a few rats scurried away from his footsteps. His eyes hard as he tipped his hat over them and approached the bashed in door, it hadn't been forced open very well, more like a man desperately flinging himself against it in the hopes of salvation. His gloved hand reached for it and gently pushed, it creaked open ever so slowly, eyes closed as he knew what was inside.

His eyes cracked open slowly, a sullen look upon his usual cocky face as he approached the fallen man within, laying in a pool of his own life force, on his back in the bare storage like room. His weapon lay a few feet from him, looking like it had been kicked from his hand. Romans eyes narrowed.

"You didn't bleed out here... You were executed" Roman realized as he leaned down to check on his old comrades wound. His chest had been punctured in, clearly from brute force, the ribs cracked inwards from a serious of blows and he had bled out on the floor after stumbling into this room.

Or so he would have believed if not for the weapon, his eyes looked at the face of his old friend and saw him missing an eye, the entire left side of his face had been carved out and lay in a mess staining the concrete under him. That was the shot which did it, the killer was merciless.

kneeling before his old friend he searched through his pockets, hoping to find something, anything that would give him a lead on finding the twins, after a minute or so he stood back up straight, tipping his hat to his fallen comrade.

"You were weak Junior and for that I'm sorry, see you in the next life old friend" Roman slowly strode from the room, his eyes scanning left to right, whoever had killed Junior had cleaning his corpse, his scroll was missing along with his lighter which he knew the man always carried. Like himself he was an extensive smoker. Meaning whoever had killed him had removed all items on his person, but why? For evidence? Due to the new law? Perhaps they required proof of execution? He knew not, all he knew was this was bad news.

As he dashed away into the night he realized he would also be on the hit list, for the hunters of Vale were taking the new law seriously. With the rise in crime and big criminal gangs and drug lords in vale, the council took extreme measures in helping the police to crack down on criminals by employing hunters and hunters in training. A rumor Junior had told him before his passing was that it was part of the initiation into beacon academy. So criminals were being hunted by both students and teachers of the illustrious academy.

The students would be hard enough to beat, while still young they had around 6 years of hunter training and their aura unlocked and would easily be able to cause the destruction Roman had witnessed at Juniors bar. But the teachers were another issue, Roman didn't fancy his chances against some of them, certainly not in a fair fight. But when did Roman ever fight fair?

It was in that train of thought he realized his mistake, Junior was probably bait and he hadn't concealed his look nor booked a get away vehicle.

Well if they wanted to take the life of the stylish criminal himself, they had better be prepared to dig their own grave first.

With a determined scowl he hurried out into the rain and towards one of his warehouses, sending out a quick message on his scroll to Neo and a few others, a meeting was needed, one of their own had been felled.

A price had to be payed, a price in blood.

Footsteps echoed behind him as he typed out messages, he glanced over his shoulder onto a nearby roof which showed a figure dashing over it, chasing him, shit he needed a place to hide.

He didn't need to be caught by whatever the hell that was as well as the police, and if it was the same person as who had killed Junior, he would need to plan carefully not blunder into some dangerous situation without thinking.

He continued to send messaged back and forth with Neo as his pursuer moved closer and closer.

/

Neo lay upon the sofa in one of the upstairs offices, below her the goons ran back and forth taking stock of every last bit of stolen material, jewels, cash, scrolls and the occasional vehicle. She smiles to herself as she stretched and yawned, sometimes life was easy and those were the best of times.

This was her favorite place to relax, one of Romans many warehouses of his criminal empire but this held its own special charm to her.

At the docks near the storage area it held strategic value for quickly stashing stolen goods. Or that's what he would say, to her it was close to the nearest ice cream parlor which she visited frequently. Her eyes strayed to the freezer in the far corner of the room which she knew had been recently stocked with the mouth watering treat which she adored. She considered indulging herself and would have if it weren't for the stolen leather couch she lay upon.

There were some perks to being a criminal after all.

Her scroll buzzed loudly to which she ignored, content with lounging and relaxing upon the comfy leather.

It buzzed again and again to which she snarled, finally giving up on her relaxing she sat and reached for the offending device, whoever had disturbed her had better have a damn good reason or they would quickly learn to regret.

A message from Roman flashed onto the screen "Where are you?"

She frowned at the message, usually he would just ask her to come to him not ask where she was, something has him worried.

"In the dock house" she quickly tapped back before sending.

She didn't have to wait long for a reply "Is it safe?"

She smirked at the message. Is it safe while she is here? She could have laughed out loud if that were possible for her. She was yet to meet someone who could beat her easily, most could barely put up a fight.

"Of course it is" She replied and tossed the scroll away. What a fool he was being, she just assumed he was drunk and flopped back down onto the comfy cushion, the soft leather giving way to her weight as it flexed beneath her.

The scroll buzzed again and again but she ignored it, content in her abilities to deal with whatever had Roman so spooked when the time came.

Closing her eyes she drifted peacefully off into a light sleep.

/

Shit! shit! shit!

Roman sprinted through the damp alleys, rounding a corner and moving forward to the docks. His plan was simple, lead his pursuer into a trap by himself and Neo, which would help if the bloody midget would answer! His footsteps splashed in the puddles as rain poured down upon him making it slippery, his pursuer didn't seem to mind at all which was mildly infuriating.

Noise alerted him to danger as he threw himself to the left into a roll, narrowly avoiding a shot which exploded upon the concrete, kicking up debris and leaving a smoking hole where he once was. His hand came up to hold his hat which had become loose during the move as he reached for Melodic Cudgel only to stop as more shots rained down upon him as he frantically dodged and rolled out of each. Not having the time to draw Melodic cudgel, due to the suppressive fire he cursed and threw himself behind a nearby dumpster.

Not that it was going to offer any protection from the barrage of shots but it gave him enough time to draw Melodic Cudgel just as the dumpster burst into flames as shots exploded out the back to where he was sat. Except it had hit nothing but the concrete on account of Roman rolling out of the cover or what was left of it to aim a pre-loaded shot and fire it at his assailant.

A whistle followed by a loud explosion as it made contact not with his assailant but with the roof which the unknown figure stood upon, the side of the building blew out along with some of the roof, collapsing it into the street and shrouding his attacker from view in a cloud of dust. He wasn't sure if it caught the mad man firing at him or not, but it gave him the chance he needed.

He didn't hesitate, he don't check if they are dead, he broke into a sprint back the way he had come from, as he neared the smoking ruin he took a left to travel alongside the building, using the angle to hide himself from where the gaping hole in the roof and perhaps his still alive attacker remained.

If his attacker was still alive they surely wouldn't expect him to break off his attack like that using the cloud of smoke.

Sure enough shots rained out from the roof but not at him, the explosions hit into the soaked ground as it rained harder, smoking craters covered the area he once was at as the smoke cleared from the rooftop, he smirked cockily to himself.

Fah! amateurish, must be just a bloody student, still better to avoid confrontation as he wasn't sure if this student was alone or not.

He would have taken the opportunity to flee were it not for a figure crashing into the alley like a meteorite, leaving a smoking crater below her along with a small shock wave of force from her... was that shotgun gauntlets? What kind of stupid crazy weapons were they carrying around now a days?

He could see her clearly now, long flowing blonde hair that went down to her lower back, a brown jacket over yellow with her toned stomach showing, leading down into tight black shorts that showed off her long legs and brown boots with a small heel. Like most huntresses she was attractive but unlike most huntresses she seemed to be lacking in any modicum of intelligence if she willingly chased the great Roman Torchwick.

With a smirk he silently pointed melodic cudgel at the woman, tough luck lady, a pretty face wont save you now.

He tipped his hat with a cocky grin as the shot fired off aiming for the side of her head.

It would have hit as well were it not for her head snapping to his direction, her lilac eyes widening before narrowing quickly as she swung a fist in a wide arc.

Romans eyes widened as it the shot connected with her fist, exploding upon impact and launching the woman a few feet into the air backwards before she made hard contact with the granite floor, rolling once before stopping and laying still on her back.

Roman burst out laughing as he loaded another shot into Melodic Cudgel, did she really try to punch a dust round that powerful out of the air? How stupid were these kids.

"Sorry little lady, that wasn't a very bright idea" He adopted his signature rogue smirk as he approached his downed foe cockily, twirling Melodic Cudgel as his footsteps splashed in the puddles on the wet ground, getting closer and closer to his unmoving foe. Time to confirm some things he thought.

He stood over her and narrowed his eyes.

She was young he could tell, not that he was old but she looked like a teenager. Definitely a bloody student from beacon, or maybe an aspiring one, it didn't matter to him, killing kids wasn't his forte but she asked for this when she chased him.

Perhaps she was the one who had killed junior and his men? If so she didn't put up much of a fight...

Realization hit him like a fist to the face... just as one did, his eyes widened as her shotgun gauntlet went off, firing a bullet powered punch directly into his cheek, a solid blow for sure as he was thrown backwards upside down only to catch himself into a back flip and land on his feet facing his adversary. She climbed to her feet slowly and deliberately, watching him with a smirk tugging at her lips.

Her hands shot out behind her as she was propelled forward directly at him, throwing a fast punch towards his head which he leaned away from only to be caught in the chest with an elbow, her second jab was caught by Romans hand but as he twisted an uppercut came for his jaw. He stumbled back releasing his grip on her arm clumsily and regained his balance as she charged forward again. This time he was ready for her, taking a quick step back left him just out of range of her punch allowing him to swing Melodic Cudgel in an arc towards her head only to hit air as she had followed his retreat with blinding aggression.

He cursed as a right hand knocked his jaw to the opposite side as he brought his leg up to match a kick which was designed to sweep his legs out, funneling his Aura into just his right leg it connected with hers with enough force to knock her off balance leaving him an opening, her hand to hand combat was good but her aura manipulation needed work.

Melodic cudgel cracked into the left side of her knee dropping her to her knees as he stepped away from an uppercut with a smirk on his face, he swung his leg in a vicious side kick connecting to the side of her head, dropping her onto her side half way through her punch. He would have liked to have taken it further into a fist fight and capitalized on some quick shots while she was down but he could already tell she was better than him in hand to hand combat, good thing he had Melodic Cudgel.

Not falling for the same trick twice he backed up a few steps and fired off the reloaded shot from Melodic Cudgel in her general direction, it blew up debris as he heard a scream upon impact.

Good, a direct hit finally, he allowed a cruel smirk onto his face but it died quickly as the area seemed to be enveloped in flame, the smoke cleared as she stood once more, her entire body smoking as her hair burned a bright yellow, her piercing red eyes burned into him. He met her glare with one filled with equal fury, smoke and fire, so this is the bitch that downed Junior.

His eyes locked with hers.

Wait.. hasn't he seen red eyes like that before?

She charged towards him as he rolled his eyes, kids eh they will never learn.

His attempt at a parry was knocked aside with such force he almost lost grip on Melodic Cudgel as a kick snapped towards his head, much faster than the last attempt Roman barely dodged it before a fist buried itself into his stomach, winding him. Spittle flew from his mouth as he was thrown into the wall of the alley with a barrage of blows raining down on him. His back impacting the wall as he frantically parried the flurry of blows, he began to work out her rhythm as an uppercut surprised him, catching him hard on the jaw as his head bounces off the concrete of the structure behind him leaving a dent in it.

He felt his Aura dropping fast as his head swam.

With a growl he took a hard punch to the stomach as a shotgun blast seemed to go off into his aura almost piercing it. Shit, running low, he needed to end this and fast.

He reached out with a hand and grabbed hold of the woman's golden hair, pulling it hard so her head tilted back and smashing his forehead into her nose causing her to recoil and try to break his grip but he brought his head smashing back into her nose a second time and was rewarded by the sickening crack of it breaking. A rage filled scream and a sudden hole in the wall next to his head told him the hair or nose might have been a bad idea as it only seemed to piss the berserker off more, however it had given him the time he needed for Melodic Cudgel to crash into the side of her head full force causing her to back up with a wobbly step only for Roman to step into her guard and go on the offensive, he threw a strong punch into her gut as she tried to defend her face from a feign knocking the wind from her. With her hands dropping over her stomach he used the back of Melodic Cudgel to hook behind her ankle, and he pulled with all his might tripping her onto her back as he brought an elbow into her now unprotected face.

The crack was satisfying as she hit the concrete hard head first and didnt get up.

"That was for Junior you bitch!"

He stepped closer before a shot from the other side of the alley pierced into his thigh, he grunted, it was the best he could do without crying out, with his aura low the bullet had pierced into his thigh and remained there.

"Shit" he cursed as he stumbled pretending to be more injured than he was as a flash of red with a scythe came to take his life. A smirk as his eyes flashed dangerously as Melodic Cudgel met the weapon head on in a shower of sparks, pushing back with his strength he barely got a look at his new opponent before she disappeared and reappeared behind him.

He span instinctively and narrowly avoided the crimson edge as he concentrated on his defense, spinning and blocking as his attacker seemed to vanish in a flurry of rose petals before another attack came.

Who was this crazy chick? She was surely too small to wield such a large weapon with as much grace and power as she did, her scythe came in again as he blocked, using his superior strength he forced her back as he noticed just how young she was, even younger than the blonde one, with silver piercing eyes and a snarl she stared into his.

But her gaze was different to the other, the first he had fought had looked insane with blood lust like fighting was her life and she enjoyed every moment of it, until he had cracked her skull open of course.

But this one... this one looked at him like he had done something to her personally.

And like that it snapped, with a smirk he threw her from him, knowing her speed she would be on him in an instant, but all he needed was a second, to aim and take a shot at the downed blonde opponent which still lay out of aura in the alley.

A gasp was heard before it exploded, but not on the right target, the girl in red stood before her having blocked the shot with the scythe, she scowled at him with cold eyes which promised nothing short of a bloody murder. He quickly tipped his hat as he reloaded and fired another quick shot at the same target, as he fired he turned his back and limped as fast as he could around the corner to pull out his scroll and made a quick call.

The scroll rang a few times as Romans blood boiled

"Come on come on pick up or ill have your damn head R-"

"Yo Bo-" the voice interrupted started only to be cut off by Roman

"Ron, get your ass to me with an escape van now!"

"Boss what do you-" Again cut off

"Trace the scroll asshole just get it done!"

"on it boss" Roman slammed his hand down on the end call button as he reloaded a shot and rounded the corner, firing it into the alley where the two were. Why he wasn't followed he didn't know, he could only thank how amateurish the two were for his continued survival. Perhaps red didnt know how well she had done his leg in? He couldn't tell so he had might as well test.

The shot exploded once again on the girls scythe as she stood defensively over the body her the yellow woman.

Seems little red doesn't want to move, does that mean she wont chase him if he ran? He tried a cocky smirk but as he took a step pain lanced through his body and he stumbled slightly, catching himself before he fell on a nearby wall.

He rubbed his sore leg and looked down seeing the trail of blood which stained his once perfect attire, streets would run red for this. If there is one thing you never do to the great Roman Torchwick, its fuck with his style.

Didn't she know how much these bloody things cost?!

He growled as he loaded another shot, aiming once again back into the alley as red prepare to intercept the blow and probably would have if it were aimed at her, instead it whistled above to the closest building, striking the gutter with a loud explosion followed by creaking and a sudden snap as it gave way, cascading down the side of the building onto where red and the berserker were. He heard a loud gasp but didn't stay to look, if they were dead great, if not he would deal with them later, for now there were more pressing matters.

He burst out of the alley system and onto more of a main road as his fears were confirmed, sirens could be heard getting closer, meaning they weren't after Juniors club, they already knew what had happened there.

They were after him, it was a fucking sting!

No looking back just move!

He willed his body to push forward through the pain but the dust round was still stuck in his leg, every step he was bleeding more and more. He needed some place to lay low until Ron arrived and fast!

Police sirens closed in as he cursed again to himself, moving to a nearby high rise building and stumbling up to the door, feeling dizzy from blood loss he didn't look at the sign, he was more concentrated on the fact that his leg was bleeding profusely. He hammered on it... shit its a combination lock.

With a quick salute he hammered Melodic Cudgel into the door, one, two, three times before it burst open and he stumbled inside. Quickly scanning his environment he saw a typical reception like area as an alarm blared in his ears. This was not his day, the police would be drawn directly too him, he might as well have just screamed out his location to everyone out searching for him. Marching naked with a parade of his goons down the streets of Vale would be less fucking obvious! With a scowl he limped behind the wooden desk where bookings were made and pulled himself a seat to rest his leg.

Thrusting his hand into his pocket he quickly drew forth his cigars, he needed one after this shit night. Drawing one of them from its container before pocketing it back into his jacket he placed it in his mouth, biting down on the end before lighting it. It wouldn't matter for smoke alarms as the police already knew he was here by the alarms, if they couldn't find him here with all the noise then they shouldn't be employed. He took a quick drag and exhaled smoke upwards as he wiped a hand down his face which was slick with sweat. Flashing lights could be seen through the battered door as he pinched the bridge of his nose, where the hell was Ron?

Whipping out his scroll as the Vale police force pulled up with basically an army in front of the hotel he quickly typed out a message to Ron

"Where are you?! The Police are here for me i need you here now!" No immediate response, that was bad.

Roman was forced to duck and fall off his chair as a hail of bullets exploded into the room tearing hundreds of holes into the stone wall behind. Not the most graceful of dodges but better to look like a drunk who cant handle his booze than be left a blood stained fabulous suit.

The desk he hid behind was thick thank Oum as the bullets failed to pierce all the way through, after two minutes of continuous fire the guns stopped, it would have been eerily silent with Roman refusing to make a sound were it not for the alarm blaring into the night and some big shot police commissioner barking orders at them outside.

He casually took another long drag of his cigar and blew the air upwards as he grasped Melodic Cudgel, his eyes closed, his posture relaxed as no action was taken for about a minute. You could cut the tension with a knife.

Romans eyes snapped open, he hated moments like this, why have a tense moment when you can have a fun one? He threw himself onto the desk still mostly slouched onto the floor thanks to his leg with Melodic Cudgel pointed forward, he fired the shot through the broken in front door which found its mark.

One of the police cars exploded in a ball of flame which incinerated three officers in one go, screams from outside were music to his ears as he slid back behind the desk chuckling to himself.

"There we go" he muttered as he took another long drag "Its no longer as tense" He chuckled darkly to himself as a message finally popped up on his scroll.

He scrambled to get it and quickly opened the chat as he received a message from Neo

"Where are you?"

Scrambling frantically he wrote back as he heard heavy boots enter the room in large numbers.

"Handerson Villa Hotel, get here immediately or no ice cream for a month!"

Just as he sent the message he looked up straight into the barrel of a gun his eyes wide as time seemed to slow, shit this was it wasn't it, taken out in a bloody sting operation.

Heh at least Neo and Ron could kill a few in his name, maybe be a Torchwick number two to continue his legacy, he closed his eyes and accepted his fate.

After a few seconds a body hit the floor, then another and another, screaming from outside took over the bulk of the noise as he opened his eyes into the narrowing of multicolored eyes with her hands on her hips, looking less than pleased with him as she raised an eyebrow as if to say "You what?"

Before her face became concerned at his state, slumped under a desk, covered in blood and soot with a hail of shattered glass and bullets around him.

"Heh its a long story, can you get us out of here?"

She nodded quickly as she slung an arm under him and as the next wave of police walked in along with a woman dressed entirely in white who commanded the men.

Only for her to find an empty room as the great Roman Torchwick had done it again and escaped the jaws of death by the skin of his teeth.

The woman growled and kicked shards of glass at her feet before turning to one of the men beside her "Check on the two others who engaged him before and clean up this mess, i want a report on my desk tomorrow, the sting has failed."

/

 **And that ends chapter one of my story, I hope you all enjoyed and would love to read what you thought of it as well as your opinions on the characters and where I'm going with it.**

 **There may be a pairing or a few later on in the story.**

 **Hope to see you all again next time.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Welcome to Chapter 2, I'm glad to see those who reviewed so far have enjoyed it i appreciate it!**

 **With that said on we go.**

 **/**

Ron paced back and forth near the metallic door of the dock warehouse, taking puffs on his cigarette until it was left as just a stump. With a scowl he tossed it to the floor and stomped on it, crushing the remaining embers into the concrete before lighting a new and smoking it as if his life depended on it.

Standing at around 6ft tall and dressed like most of the other goons he didn't particularly stand out from the crowd, but Ron had been Romans get away driver since almost the beginning of his criminal legacy, he had a short well kept beard and green eyes that shone with experience, he wore red glasses like the rest of the goons except his suit was nicer and he was armed better. Roman had even seen fit to unlock his aura and give him some training, it would be fair to say he was still poor at fighting but against mobsters and drug cartels, he could easily enforce Romans will upon them alone if he had too.

"Where are they" He muttered as he watched the door.

Before jumping back as two figures literally materialized right next to him.

"What the fu-" was all he could say as a head collided with his own, knocking him to the floor in a daze as his cigarette fell from his mouth, its embers burning out on the floor.

With a scowl Ron looked up into amused multicolored eyes and a drained Torchwick hanging off her. Despite his current state Roman could still find it funny as he burst into laughter.

"Don't tell me, you actually woke her up?" He laughed.

Ron growled to himself "I saw the hotel on the news, I ain't sticking my neck out in that situation, thought it would be easier to let her do it" He closed his eyes and groaned "Bloody midget don't forgive easily" He grunted as he received a swift kick to the knee for his comment.

Roman chuckled "Heh i gotta say, I was getting pretty pissed at your absence, but seeing as you had the stones to actually wake Neo, that's punishment enough, she never forgives"

Ron grumbled and rubbed his knee as he made to stand

"What happened to you anyway boss?" he eyed Romans once pristine black trousers, now stained with red "Any news of Junior?"

Romans lips thinned before he let out a sigh

"Meet me in the office Ron" He gestured towards the upstairs office "We have a lot to talk about"

He slipped from Neos' grip and almost payed for it as his leg gave way under him, however he managed to catch himself on a dust crate before he fell. Roman took a few seconds to stand back up straight before he frowned and tapped the crate a few times, his eyes then slid to Ron.

The temperature seemed to drop in the warehouse and other goons backed away wanting no part of Romans wrath. Melodic Cudgel stopped being used as a walking stick and back to a weapon as he swung at the latch, breaking it with a snap as the crate door opened, the contents spilling out over the warehouse floor.

"Ron" he said quietly "Anything you want to tell me? As far as I'm concerned this is the Torchwick empire, and here in Torchwicks' criminal empire, we don't steal dust!" He swung Melodic Cudgel into the crate again destroying the front of it, even Neo looked concerned.

Ron coughed and steeled his nerves as he faced his boss "It was a gift from a client boss"

Roman frowned "Don't tell me, the bitch with the fire?"

Ron nodded "Not like i had much choice boss, either accept or be turned to ash"

Roman groaned and leaned against it "She wants something from us, and something tells me we aren't going to have much of a choice in the matter" His eyes slid to his diminutive partner "Neo, have you found anything about them?"

The small girl put a forefinger and thumb to her chin as if scratching an imaginary beard before shaking her head and giggling.

Roman rolled his eyes and looked back to Ron "We will discuss this later, whatever that crazy bitch is after can wait-"

"But boss!" Ron interrupted "She has demanded a date to meet, if you don't attend then she will be coming for us personally!"

Roman chuckled "Well when that day comes we let it, at the moment we have bigger issues"

Ron nodded, feeling uneasy.

Roman turned to his partner "Neo, i need you to use that wonderful semblance of yours to move around the city tonight, look for the malachite twins, their bodies were not accounted for" He turned to Ron "Ron, change of plans, make some calls to Alexander, see how the local gangs are doing, when you are done assemble whatever mob bosses that are left alive, we need a meeting"

Neo tilted her head at Roman while Ron saluted

Roman sighed as he hobbled towards the stairs leading to the office "Yes Neo there is ice cream for you in the freezer"

She giggled silently and clapped her hands together before disappearing again.

Ron gestured for some of Romans goons to go with him, four in total waited by the van out back as he disappeared with them to make some calls.

/

Roman limped but the metallic stairs, holding the railing for support as the goons hurried around below him, looking down he sneered at his destroyed attire, he would need to get those replace, he realized as he neared the top. Grasping hold of the door handle he twisted and pushed, letting himself into his stylish office. Stolen paintings decorated the walls, lifted from various art exhibits and museums, the ridiculously comfy sofa, stolen as well of course, frankly everything from the bear skin rug to the mahogany desk and the liquor cabinet was stolen.

He smiled to himself as he limped over to the cabinet. Simpler times allowed him to live for himself and only himself. He pulled out one of the glasses and a bottle of imported bourbon before limping back to his desk and slumping in the seat.

Now a days life was more about building a legacy, a reminder to the world to look back on when he is long gone, to remind them of the terror the great Roman Torchwick had caused in his hatred of the council, the hunter schools and the white fang the filthy animals.

He poured himself a few shots and screwed the cap back on, placing it down with a gentle clunk against the wood as he lifted the glass to down it.

The liquid burned as it went down but it was a good burning, not like that berserker earlier. No, this was the burning of luxury, that reminded him that he had made it and the only place he had to go now was forward.

He pushes his chair back and lifted his leg, slamming it down on the table as he rolled up his trouser leg.

Which lead him to his current predicament. No sign of the twins, they could be useful to have on his side. In return for his protection they could help himself and Neo in the bigger fights against police specialists and Beacon. He pulled the trouser leg above his wound to get a better look, it was deep but not overly so, blood still pooled in it as he squeezed the flesh around trying to find the bullet.

Who was that women who arrived at the end? She looked like an Atlas specialist, one of the Schnees.

And there he was thinking that this law was brought in to stop the hostile take over of Vale by General Iron Wood, well he knew that was one of the reasons, he was told as much by one of the council members.

He smirked, it was good to have friends in high places.

He reached for the first aid kit on the wall, giving up as it was out of reach and smashed Melodic Cudgel into it instead, knocking it from the wall and into his hand.

So if the council didn't want Atlas forces in control of vale, why was one leading the men?

He pulled a pair of tweezers and with a grunt pushes it into the wound, still pressing on either side of it to keep the object still.

How many of the mob bosses were left? How many could Ron find? While not useful in a fight they could be used for sabotage against the Vale police or the white fang should they encroach on his territory, not Beacon though. Beacon would be left to himself, Neo and the twins if they could be found.

He grunted and almost cried out as he hit the bullet, gently spreading the tweezers he caught the end and slowly started to withdraw it from his form, beads of sweat formed on his brows as he concentrated, after a minute of agony he withdrew the bullet from his body and lay it on the desk before grabbing a needle and thread.

Now what of this fire bitch? She had tried to contact him many times before all of which he avoided, whatever she was selling he wanted none of it.

Intelligence told him she was working with the white fang, but it also told him that she was someone who could bring his entire empire crashing down upon him should he let her. He growled and now she wanted a meeting, even sending them dust? Why act diplomatically when she had incinerated five of his men in a meeting that went sour.

He could not trust her, she would have to be removed as a threat.

The needle pierced his skin as he began sewing up the wound.

So many sides to this war, and all of them aligned directly against him.

He groaned and snipped the thread with his wound sewed shut as he began applying the bandage. His aura would take care of that soon enough.

Sighing and grasping the bottle once more, pouring himself another drink before taking a long sip and leaning back in his chair.

A lot needed to be done, but if anyone could do it, it would be the roguish thief. He smiled to himself charismatically before remembering his attire and stumbling back to his feet and storming to the door.

Slamming it open into the warehouse his voice echoed among the goons "Get me a new suit and be quick about it, i cant go out like this ill be a laughing stock"

The door slammed shut as he headed back inside, up to Neo and Ron now to see what they can find.

/

Neo blinked back into existence out into the night, her eyes scanned around before she blinked up to a nearby roof to get a better view. Police sirens all around, patrol cars in the streets, Romans little empire wasn't going to last long if this kept up.

But, her smile turned predatory, media coverage of this would be everything, Juniors was a success.

But they failed with Roman and lost a few men for it too, if their were more casualties then they would be forced to quieten down. Should the police go after the gangs under Roman without hunters or huntresses then casualties would be in abundance on both sides.

And once they calm down Neo can go back to doing what she loved, drinking, eating ice cream, relaxing and of course, killing.

But for now she had better do what Roman said or he would destroy her freezer, her precious freezer! Full of delicious mouth watering ice cream.

Her eyes narrowed, and these fools dare try to get between her and her treats? Well then, guess they had all better die hadn't they?

She giggled to herself as she blinked to the other side of Vale in an instant, but first she needed some help... If she were a multicolored twin who had just lost their boss where would she be?

She smirked to herself as she jumped from the rooftop into an opening between buildings near Vales red light district, set up by Roman of course.

She sauntered into the street and headed for one of the shadier bars, her eyes scanning left to right for danger but finding none. Although there were far less people around than usual for sure, perhaps the sting had scared most citizens back into their homes, that or the bloodshed. She shook her head amused, silly people, that was the best part!

The queue to get in was long but she was Neo, so she casually skipped past the entire queue much to the displeasure of the crowd, the bouncers knew better though and quickly stepped aside to let her descend the steps as she pleased.

Passing the questionable images upon the walls of half naked women she descended fully onto the dance floor. A large disco ball held above it twirling lights about the room as not an overly large amount of dancers but certainly enough took to the floor the sway to the music. The walls painted a lusty red with comfortable couches set up with tables in front around the edge of the dance floor, directly in the center in front of her was the heart of the place, the bar.

Stepping past dancers and skirting around the edge she made her way towards the large man behind the bar and plopped herself down on the bar stool in front of him. Her eyes strayed left to right but saw no one of interest, let alone the twins whom she was searching for.

She tapped her fingers lazily as she looked up at the bar tender who stiffened at the sight of her, he coughed and straightened himself as he stood in front of her, clearly terrified which caused her smirk to widen. Ah how she loved it when these fools knew their place.

"Good evening miss Neo, how can i help you tonight?" He spoke in a rich accent that wasn't native to Vale, where he came from she didn't know nor did she care, all she knew was that Roman had made him a fake ID to make a life here, so he owed them.

She shrugged elegantly at him as if to ask him what he thinks she wants.

He tugged at his collar and coughed nervously "I'm guessing its not for a drink?"

She giggled silently and shook her head a few times before pointing to the red wall with one hand and the white of his shirt with the other.

He frowned "Red and white?"

She nodded happily

Realization hit him "Ah you are searching for the twins?" his face dropped a bit "Sorry to inform you Neo but Juniors dead, the place was hit hard"

She waved a hand dismissively and pointed again to the red and white causing him to stroke the stubble upon his chin.

"You think they are alive then? Well they haven't come in here Neo I'm sorry"

She giggled again and shook her head once more before pointing to a drink behind him.

Of course they weren't here right now, but without Junior they wouldn't know where else to go. They would either show up here or head directly to Roman himself, either way she would have found them and would get to keep her ice cream. Of course there was always the chance they were dead, but she couldn't care less, if they weren't strong enough to survive this then they wouldn't be very useful to her or Roman now would they?

The drink was mixed and placed before her, a mixture of red with little scoops of ice cream on top. Her mouth salivated.

She took a long sip and exhaled with a sigh, it was blissful. Her eyes turned to the bar tender who had moved over to serve some other customers, she hoped he survived this whole ordeal, especially if he kept making her drinks like this. She smiled and took another sip, eyes turning towards the entrance, the twins were brash, she expected they would come in with trouble. She tapped the thin sword strapped to her side with a faint smile, oh how Neo hoped they would be followed, and if it was by someone who could fight? Well the fun would truly begin.

/

Ron moved out the back of the warehouse, pushing through the metallic door and out into the damp night, while it had stopped raining the floor was still soaked so his footsteps splashed in puddles as he walked.

Pulling out his scroll he dialed Alexander waiting a few seconds it picked up to the sound of sirens in the back ground and gun shots.

"Shit! Ron is that you?" the voice spoke urgently, more gunshots could be heard and someone screaming.

"Fuck, Alexander where are you?"

"Down with the red mask gang, the police have turned up in high numbers! The street has turned into a blood bath!" A loud explosion caught his attention and a curse from Alexander.

Ron hurried out to his van, which lay just round the corner, calling out to the four goons who were waiting by it "Get in we are heading out! Be ready for a ruck boys!"

Nods from the men as they climbed into the back and slide the door shut after them, with Ron opening the armored vans front door and climbing behind the drivers seat, starting the engine he sped out of Romans dock warehouse and onto the main roads, watching for cars and police in the sky in case he accidentally gave away Romans location. All clear, he noted as he sped off towards southern Vale, the base of Alexanders operations under Roman. Alexander had gone silent on the scroll, just gunshots and explosions from the side for a few minutes as he ran red lights, speeding to his destination.

"Ron you still there?" Alexander cried urgently

"We are coming Alexander, whats going on down there?" he replied as he took a sharp left down a footpath. The situation sounded urgent and he was far enough away to not give away Romans location, now he could drive recklessly. He took paths and back roads breaking the speed limit many times over, desperate times cause for desperate measures.

"We are retreating back through the compound, most of the boys are dead! The red masks have suffered heavily, a huntsman has arrived!" A loud explosion "shit they have broken through the door, we are heading to the evacuation point!"

"Hold tight Alexander we will be there shortly!" Ron sped through the abandoned streets, it was as if all citizens had been told to stay inside tonight, why hadn't they been warned about this?! He headed down main street towards southern Vale. Alexanders domain and heading fast to where he currently lay, the biggest gang in south Vale, the red masks. As they got closer to the Red mask gang head quarters the call cut off.

After a tense 10 minutes they arrived, rounding the bend they arrived at the front of the hide out to find it in ruins. The wooden saloon type building had the windows shot out, bodies of red mask members and police littered the floor along with on fire vehicles and overturned cars. Well if this was what Vale wanted it was what they would get, turn the streets into fucking war zones for your politics you animals. Ron seethed in the front seat, no way to go in the front, even though he currently could see no one, getting out of the van would signify death, especially if there was a blasted hunter somewhere in the compound.

From the outside it looked like a themed bar but was known in the area for many drug deals and illicit activities to say the least, while the building looked small it lead underground to a massive warehouse a few miles further south, the entire path was designed for the red mask members to escape, knowing just one of them could hold off the enemy number while the rest ran. It was also heavily trapped, if there was one thing the red masks were known for it was explosives, it was probably what he heard on the phone with Alexander.

The Vale police knew all of this, they knew the body count would be massive to attempt a siege on such a compound, so why did they suddenly throw caution to the wind and toss perhaps hundreds of their officers lives away?

Figures moved in the front of the salon type building, for a second Ron believed it was red mask members there to signal them in, were it not for the guns... Shit.

Shots rang out, hammering against the side of the armoured van as some members of the Vale Police Department exited the building, lining up and opening fire upon their armoured van. It shook as bullets bounces off of its tough plating and bullet proof glass. While the current weapons wouldn't be a problem to deflect, it would only be a matter of time before the Vale Police brought out the armour piercing rounds, then they were fucked. Cursing to himself, Ron put the van into reverse, pulling back out of the side road and heading onto the main street, he would have to head to the warehouse which the compound leads onto, as far as he was concerned none of the Vale police knew its location, they would have to chase them underground to find it. As they pulled away shots echoed behind them, slowly getting further away as they made their escape and heading towards the warehouse.

Ron followed the main road then headed around the back streets, even the highway was virtually deserted, he took some of the winding roads in an attempt to lose any followers, he wasn't sure if he was being tailed but you can never be too careful in this world. Taking the next right after around 5 minutes of driving he arrived at the evacuation point, it was a warehouse among other businesses, on a normal day it blended in well. When he arrived it looked exactly like what it was, armed mobsters wearing black suits and red masks funneling out of the door and into the courtyard. Lining up like an organized military group before moving in high numbers to the wide array of vehicles around the premises. The electric gate opened for him as he drove slowly into the compound, parking the van alongside similar vehicles, he slid open the door and climbed out.

His men slid out the back door in a line before closing it behind them, carrying their weapons hoisted to their sides they marched as a unit, boots crunching across the gravel.

Red mask members made way as they marched through the panic of the situation and headed for the only goon of Romans he could see, Alexander.

He stood holding his side, a heavy wound was being treated by a nurse of the red mask, looked to be a physical attack from some kind of chopping instrument, like an axe. Like himself Alexander also had his aura unlocked as he was in charge of the southern sector. Alexander wasn't a particularly tall man, he was around 5ft8 in height but stood out from the crowd, he seemed to demand respect at all times, head always held high, a proud man. Some would question too proud to be a criminal in such a world, but his reasons were his own.

Rons approach was noticed as Alexander ushered the nurse away and moved towards them, limping slightly and looking worse for wear but still intact. Like all Romans higher ranking goons he wore a uniform like the rest only much better tailored, it was a way to distinguish hierarchy in Romans world, complete with the red glasses it was always easy to recognize one of their own. Vehicles sped out of the open electric gate and into the roads surrounding them as the red masks made their retreat.

Ron approached and clasped his hand against that of Alexanders, giving it a hearty shake.

"For a minute i thought we had lost you"

"Blasted hunter almost got me" he spat to the side, the gob landing upon the gravel.

"A student? Or a Vale specialist?" Ron queried

Alexander shook his head "Worse, a blasted teacher from beacon"

Rons eyes widened "you cant be serious, they are behind this attack?"

Alexander shrugged "Could well be, we have heard rumors that teachers and students have been teaming up with the vale police and other specialists, Quintz saved my ass back there" He said nodding to a member of the red mask, he wielded a halberd and barked orders at the rest of the red masks, ordering the full retreat to another safe house. He stood as a giant of a man, easily towering over Ron himself and was well build, like a human battering ram, his face concealed by a red devil looking mask, his hair black down over the front of the top of his mask.

Quintz noticed them and strode purposely towards them., weapon in hand.

"So this is the back up you promised?" he eyed Ron up and down. "He doesn't look like much, but neither do you Alex so I guess ill have to reserve judgement"  
Quintz turned fully to Alexander before speaking again "They will be on us any moment, I'd advise getting out of here, we will detonate the entire facility once we are gone, hopefully kill that blasted hunter while we are at it."

Alexander nodded and turned to Ron "We have to inform Roman, can you take us back?"

Ron nodded "he will need to know about this raid" Ron turned his head to Quintz "Roman ordered me to bring the mob bosses together for a meeting, you will need to come with us as well as explaining this failure to him in person"

Quintz froze and looked directly at Ron, if he wasn't wearing a mask he could imagine the man was glaring, but Ron cared not, the bosses orders were law, and if Quintz wouldn't play along, then he would need to be replaced. The goons accompanying Ron moved their hands in unison to their weapons, the threat very clear.

With a sigh Quintz nodded and barked a last order to the red masks "Head to safe house 4 and inform the rest what happened, wait for me there."

With that he turned and moved with the group back to the armoured vehicle. Only to stop as the noise of combat got closer, banging on the sealed door to the warehouse and screaming, following by gunshots and silence.

Quintz pointed his Halberd towards the door as Ron and the goons sprinted towards the armoured van, Alexander hurried over to Quintz "Run you fool" he hissed.

Quintz laughed "I pushed that fool back once i can do it again" He answered cockily

Alexander spat at his feet "you fool! We couldn't last even a minute with both of us!" Ron wondered what was wrong for a second until he realized, the warehouse had descended into complete silence, so sign of a struggle nothing.

The seconds ticked by agonizingly slow as Ron made it to the Van just in time to hear a loud cracking sound as the door to the compound blew off its hinges outwards Heading in Rons direction "Get down!" he screamed as he ducked at the last second allowing him to avoid the flying metal door which would have surely taken his life. The goons all dived to the side to avoid being crushed as it slammed into the side of their armoured van which tipped from the force of the impact, smashing in the back as the windows exploded.

"Fuck" Ron spat, eyeing the car as he stood slowly"no idea if the bastard will move now"

Alexander slowly drew two pistols, facing the door, "we have bigger problems"

Ron span and his eyes narrowed, fear shot through him as he drew his pistol and blade, it was too late, he had no idea if the van would still run or if the damage was too severe, he hoped it was just superficial but he had no time to check. He was already here, the hunter which had tore through the red mask base without even the hint of trouble, that is if what he got from Alexander was true. The goons behind him drawing their guns and aiming them at where the missing door was, a dark figure moved out from the gloom being illuminated by the lights.

Quintz spat and rushed over to Alexander, placing something in his hand that Ron couldn't hear before they both moved back to stand with Ron and his men.

As Professor Port strode through, eyes like chips of granite, cold and unfeeling, his axe covered in blood as he smiles at them, not a cruel smile but one will of sympathy, sympathy for what he was going to do to them.

/

Roman clasped his hands together before swiping across his scroll.

"Live coverage of something surely" he muttered to himself, as it stood Roman was in the dark, having heard nothing from Neo... well that was nothing new, but Ron had gone silent as well. He tapped his fingers against the wood of his desk impatiently.

Alexander in the south with Ron and the red masks, nothing heard so far, even the news was silent.

The north was mainly held by Beacon but a few smaller gangs were present there, and of course they knew to pay respects to the king of thieves.

The west was held mainly by the white fang and Kalith, a constant battle for supremacy over the area which didn't look like it was going to end soon.  
Having checked in with the leader of his western section Kalith, she had reported nothing new, only a decrease in white fang activity as of late. Were they also being hit by the police? Or was this a direct attempt by the council of Vale to destroy the empire he spent so long building.

The east was firmly in his control as his main bases of operation were in his eastern section, which is why it was so frustrating to have lost one of his own from under his nose. And those huntresses he had fought, two students and what looked to be a fucking Schnee.

His eyes strayed to the map of vale on the wall, pins sticking out of points of interest as he looked to the south.

If they sent huntresses after him, they would surely do similar with Alexander and Quintz in the south.

He popped another cigar into his mouth, lighting it and taking a long drag.

Only time would tell.

/

 **Thus ends chapter 2 of The Hunted Thief, Romans forces being pushed back and the threat of Beacon and Cinder moving closer.  
A shorter chapter than my last for sure however the next one should be longer, thank you for the reviews I do appreciate it and I look forward to seeing you all next time.  
I would like to clarify some of this story will be cannon or at least elements of it.  
**

 **Thank you all, until next time.**


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